Maxeon has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against AIKO in the Munich Regional Court I, citing its BC technology patent EP2297789B1
The case covers AIKO’s Gen 2 and Gen 3 BC solar modules sold in Europe, and also names 4 German distributors of AIKO products
Maxeon is seeking injunctions, damages, disclosure of sales data, and the destruction of allegedly infringing inventory in Germany
Singapore-headquartered Maxeon Solar Technologies has expanded its patent dispute with solar PV manufacturer AIKO with a new patent infringement lawsuit in Germany.
Filed before the Munich Regional Court I in Germany, this lawsuit accuses AIKO and its European distribution network of infringing Maxeon’s core back contact (BC) solar technology patent EP2297789B1 (referred to as EP789). It specifically addresses AIKO’s 2nd generation (Gen 2) and 3rd generation (Gen 3) BC solar module products currently sold in Europe.
Along with AIKO, the 4 main German solar product distributors of AIKO products – Wattkraft GmbH & Co. KG, DWH Solutions GmbH, Memodo GmbH, and Tepto GmbH – have been named in the lawsuit.
Maxeon says it is seeking a permanent injunction against AIKO and other defendants to refrain from infringing activities, disclose sales data for the accused products, and compensate for damages. It also seeks the destruction of infringing inventory in Germany.
“Distributors who sell infringing products can be liable for injunctions and damages, even if they are not manufacturers,” said Maxeon's Associate General Counsel Marc Robinson. “As in our prior actions against AIKO, we continue to target distributors as defendants. This lawsuit should serve as a reminder that patent infringement risk is not limited to manufacturers. Manufacturers and distributors of infringing product each carry risks of patent infringement.”
TaiyangNews reached out to AIKO for a comment, but the response was still pending at the time this article was published.
Maxeon previously filed lawsuits against AIKO and its sales channels, including a 2023 complaint in the Mannheim Regional Court pertaining to the infringement of the former’s patent EP2297788. In 2024, it also filed a complaint before the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Local Division in Düsseldorf regarding infringement of Maxeon’s patent EP3065184. All 3 patents belong to the same BC solar technology family (see TOPCon Patent War Heating Up: Trinasolar & Canadian Solar New Additions).
In May 2025, the Hague Court of Appeal ruled against Maxeon in its patent lawsuit against AIKO and VDH Solar, following which Maxeon withdrew its appeal in the Netherlands, opting instead for enforcement at the UPC (see Hague Court Rules Against Maxeon in Solar Patent Appeal).
As Maxeon expands its patent lawsuits, manufacturers are ending lengthy, expensive patent fights by opting for licensing agreements elsewhere. Most recently, Astronergy and JA Solar mutually settled their dispute (see Astronergy & JA Solar End Global TOPCon Patent Dispute).